"Stress Relief for Busy People"

Attention Small Business Owners

By Marilyn Assaf
Vancouver Island Essence Magazine

Used with permission

There's more to life than rushing around. That's the simple message Nanaimo's Lisa Rickwood hopes to convey through her new book, Escape The Pace:100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life.

"The book is meant for busy people who want to learn how to put a mini-holiday into each day," says Lisa.

The idea for Lisa's first book was born from her own life experiences. Like many women, she was caught up in the whirlwind of working full time while raising a young family. In between, she was constantly trying to find time for per passions - writing and art - and squeezing in quality time for herself and family.

It isn't easy finding a healthy balance, Lisa says.

The book, which is being self-published through Loon Books, is based on the Escape The Pace column Lisa wrote for Vancouver Island Essence Magazine a few years ago. She wrote the column as a way to help herself deal with stress.

A few years ago, Rickwood says her life appeared to be spinning out of control. She worked full time as an Advertising Sales Representative while her husband, Derek, worked at Ken Thompson's Men's Wear. It was a constant struggle to support their young family. Matters got worse when Derek was laid off.

"Those were dark days," says Lisa. "We were financially strapped. There were so many times I felt like running away."

When Ken Thompson's store was for sale, Derek knew it was an opportunity he couldn't ignore. With one hundred percent financing, the Rickwood's purchased the business which became Rickwood's Menswear. Lisa quit her advertising job to become Derek's business partner and sole employee.

"It was a stressful time,' she recalls. "Here I was taking over a business I knew nothing about. The downtown was dying, the business was almost dead and we a had a lot of people telling us it wouldn't work. But Derek had faith things would turn around. And they did."

Through the "dark days" Lisa came to a realization that she needed to develop a better way to cope with stress. She began reading self-help books.

After pouring over 60 or 70 books, she felt something was missing.

"I thought it would be nice if there was a book that helped you add happiness and joy to your life, " says Lisa. "That sparked the idea for my own book."

Her goal was to write a "friendly book in simple language to help people promote more balance in their lives."

"My book has been written by someone who's been there, and is still there, trying to cope with day-to-day demands of work and motherhood," she says.

"My thinking is that you'll feel better if you can throw a little mini-holiday into each day and put it at the top of your to-do-list. A mini-holiday can be anything that takes you away from daily stress for a minute or a whole day. For example, if you're caught in traffic and are feeling stressed, you can practice deep-breathing exercises," says Lisa.

"You can spend a day being a tourist in your home-town, or it can be as simple as going for a walk. The point is to slow down and take note of the things you usually take for granted."

As Lisa began writing, she relied on the advice of mentors - her mother, a newspaper reporter, and another mentor and friend, Frances McGuckin - best-selling author of a hugely popular book, Business For Beginners.

"I met Frances at a Nanaimo Women's Business Network meeting," explains Lisa. "She's written business books and heard about the success of Rickwood's Menswear. she featured our miracle story in one of her books. We became friends and she's been a great support ever since."

For Lisa, writing a book allowed her to tap into her creative streak that had remained dormant for too long. In additions to writing, she's also an artist.

Born in Vancouver and raised in the Okanagan, Lisa won art scholarships in Grade 12 and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the University of Victoria. That's where she met Derek - also an aspiring artist. The pair moved to Nanaimo and married in 1991. Over the last several years, Lisa has produced many pieces of her own original art, helped her husband organize art shows to raise funds for charity, written columns on fashion for Vancouver Island Essence Magazine, and taught Dress For Less workshops at McMillan College.

"I like fashion because I would look at it from a design point of view," explains Lisa. "People often asked me what to do with their wardrobes. As a kid, my family didn't have a lot of money so I learned to be very creative with my clothes."

Creativity does have its setbacks says Lisa. If you're too creative, it can be difficult to find your focus. "You often end up spinning your wheels," says Lisa.

Has she found her focus? "The book is my biggest focus but I'm always reaching out to other ideas like teaching, creating art and writing. It's a constant search to find one thing I enjoy the most."

Lisa is formulating plans for other books, including Escape The Pace For Kids, Escape The Pace For Couples, and Escape The Pace For Parents.

She's also started an Escape The Pace website which she hopes to expand: www.escapethepace.com

"It's a resource guide for slowing down," she says. "Eventually it will have products and a discussion room on slowing down. I'd like to work with Spas and vacation places on the island to offer getaway packages.

Basically, I want to help people put the focus on their needs and enjoy life. You can still be busy but have time for things in life that really matter - family, friends and yourself.

I look forward to being of service,

“Small Business Stress Buster”